Michael Cuddyer officially announced his retirement in a post to the Players Tribune this morning, writing:
“I’ve made the decision to retire. With one year left on my contract, it is especially difficult to imagine not suiting up in a Mets uniform for one more year. As an athlete, retiring is the toughest decision you have to make and I don’t make it lightly. I’ve always run out every hit like it was my last. As an untested high school kid drafted with a dream, I’ve never taken a single moment in the Majors for granted. It goes against every grain in my body to consider a future without the game. But after 15 years, the toll on my body has finally caught up to me.”
“Finally, thank you to the game of baseball. I was one of the lucky ones who got to play the game for a living. One of the lucky ones who got the play for All-Star managers and coaches. One of the lucky ones who got to be a poster on a kid’s wall. I never played for money or fame, but you showered me with both. I played baseball the way I did because I knew one day it would be over. Today’s that day. I hope you know that physically, mentally and emotionally, I gave you everything I had.”
Sandy Alderson also said in a statement this morning, “He leaves an indelible, positive impact on our organization. We salute Michael on his career and thank him for his contributions to our success in 2015. We wish him, Claudia, and their kids all the health and happiness ”
Read Cuddyer’s entire farewell here.
Class act all the way. That’s what I call going out in style.
Joe D.
Previous Report
As first reported by Metsmerized Online’s Michael Mayer via Twitter, Mets left fielder Michael Cuddyer (36) is retiring.
He retires with a career .277/.344/.461 slash line, with 197 home runs and 794 RBIs across 15 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets.
He was a two time All-Star, and won both a Silver Slugger Award and a batting title in 2013 when he hit .331 with 20 home runs and 84 RBIs for the Rockies.
He was unspectacular for the Mets in 2015, hitting .259/.309/.391 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. After dealing with several ailing injuries, he eventually lost his starting job to rookie Michael Conforto. He underwent surgery in Philadelphia after the World Series to repair a core muscle injury.
Cuddyer is choosing to retire despite being owed $12.5 million for this season. While his clubhouse leadership will be missed, this does give the Mets front office a lot more money for free agents this offseason.
The Mets current outfield consists of Michael Conforto, Juan Lagares, and Curtis Granderson. Now, acquiring another outfielder makes more sense than ever, whether it be Denard Span, Gerardo Parra, or Yoenis Cespedes.
He is known as an extremely classy and knowledgeable guy, and has mentioned in the past he would like to try his hand at coaching. With the bench coach position open, this situation could get interesting.
Happy Retirement, Michael…
